Human Rights Center meets funding goals
The University of Iowa Center for Human Rights — which has struggled to garner enough funding to maintain its program — has received enough money to sustain itself for another year.
With approximately $55,000 from the UI through International Programs, in which it is based, the center has passed its goal of raising $150,000 for the year, said Gregory Hamot, the center's director. More than $100,000 has come in through private donations.
"We have enough to get by this year with a fairly high level of programming," he said. "We'll do as much as we can with what we've got."
The center — beginning in the late 1990s — serves to protect and promote human rights locally and worldwide. With university budget cuts last year and setbacks from flooding, those involved in the facility became concerned about its future.
The fundraising campaign has raised enough money to support the center's activities this year, but officials say they are working to receive an endowed fund through the UI Foundation.
With an endowed fund, the center would have a steady income to secure both immediate and future costs, unlike annual contributions, which the center is using to sustain itself, Sherri Furman, the vice president of financial accounting at the UI Foundation, wrote in an e-mail.
The UI's $55,000 contribution is mainly used to pay interns and staff members. And while the center usually receives more from the university, Hamot said the recent economy has resulted in a lag in funding.
"The university is helping out as much as it can," he said. "It had major cutbacks, but it was still kind enough to help out."
Hamot said he would like to reach the $150,000 in private funds to maintain the program's performance level. Although he couldn't say how close the center is to its goal, it was $49,884 shy as of June 14, according to the center's website.
But until the center receives an endowed fund, it will need annual funding.
"That money is being spent as we go," said Amy Weismann, the deputy director of the center. "We really can't operate on a year-to-year basis in that way — that's what we want to avoid."
And with the center being the only academic human-rights center in Iowa, and one of the few in the nation, its employees would like to keep the program running as well as it has been.
The center is responsible for several community-level programs, including One Community, One Book, an annual countywide reading project. It also has broader collaboration through such projects as the Human Rights Index, a series published three times annually in The Iowa Review, as well as others regarding issues such as child labor, immigration, and people seeking asylum.
Weismann said funding is often used for outreach programs to inform people of relevant issues.
"It provides educational resources and research support as well as outreach and student opportunities related to human rights," she said.
Kelsey Kramer, an AmeriCorps member and intern at the center, said the program is especially helpful with Iowa residents born in foreign countries, providing them with information on benefits and options.
"Domestically right now, we're dealing with a lot of immigration," she said. "It's important for people to know what's really going on."
Kramer said the funds it receives are used for various events to educate and promote awareness.
"A lot of what we do does cost money," she said. "It's important that there's a voice in the university."
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